


Winter Winds

by hypatheticallyspeaking



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, HKSS 2019, Modern AU, Neighbors AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21963667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypatheticallyspeaking/pseuds/hypatheticallyspeaking
Summary: The thing about living near a university was that everything cleared out around holidays and summer sessions. And it’s not as though Karin minded. No, rather, it was a nice change of pace for the time being. She didn’t have to deal with the other students in her apartment complex being up until god-awful hours of the night and partying past three-am on the weekends.Still, it made the holidays lonely.Somehow, meeting her neighbor seems to make everything a little brighter this year.
Relationships: Hitsugaya Toushirou/Kurosaki Karin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 68





	Winter Winds

**Author's Note:**

> For dandelion-snow on tumblr! Enjoy!!

The thing about living near a university was that everything cleared out around holidays and summer sessions. And it’s not as though Karin minded. No, rather, it was a nice change of pace for the time being. She didn’t have to deal with the other students in her apartment complex being up until god-awful hours of the night and partying past three-am on the weekends.

Still.

It made the holidays lonely.

Normally, she would take the time off of work to spend the holidays with her family, but she hadn’t been able to get the days this year. So, instead, she was left alone in a ghost-town with scattered holiday decorations.

*

The winter winds nip at her nose, turning Karin’s cheeks a bright pink. She’d stopped at one of the nearby parks after her morning run, her lungs alight with the stress of deep breathing at freezing temperatures. Over the past month, she has gotten accustomed to the sharp chill in her recent training for the upcoming Gotei Marathon. Her red scarf acts as a flimsy barrier against the cold, but then again, it was a gift from Yuzu nearly ten years ago.

Sunlight has begun decreasing as slate gray clouds begin to roll in overhead, dropping the temperature from tolerable to bone-chilling. Karin marches through the streets, heading for the closest coffee shop. She’s greeted by the sound of holiday music and a wave from a familiar barista. Within minutes, her order’s done and the numbness in her fingers gets wicked away by the hot coffee.

“Enjoying the freedom?” the barista asks; he knows her too well already.

“What do you mean? I still have to work today.”

“It’s quiet. No students to annoy you.” He smirks. “I’ll miss your grumbling about parties for the next month.”

“Like hell you will,” Karin mutters—intentionally—before stepping out to brave the chilly December weather.

“Don’t be a Grinch. Enjoy your holiday,” the barista calls out as the door slams behind her.

She flips him off as she walks away.

*

By the time she returns from work, Karin’s black hair is wet from sudden snow. Her apartment complex is quiet, save lights on in one neighbor’s windows. She makes her way through the now-quiet halls, past doors with wreaths and paper-decorated doors. The faint sound of holiday music drifts through the halls, brightening her spirits just slightly. As she nears her own place, the music gets louder and is now accompanied by the aroma of gingerbread and peppermint wafting through the air.

She enters her apartment, finding it devoid of holiday cheer. Really, it’s her fault for not decorating, but still. She misses Yuzu’s cheerful spirit and the buzzing atmosphere of the Kurosaki household during celebrations. Even Ichigo’s obnoxiously loud conversations and shouting matches with their father would be preferable to the silence punctuated with off-key singing from the neighboring apartment. She plays her own festive songs as she goes about her day. At the very least, she does not have to work this afternoon as well.

The sound of someone knocking on her door comes as a surprise; she isn’t expecting anyone, and as much as she loves her family, the trip from Karakura would take the majority of the day.

“Hello?” A woman’s voice, cheerfully calls from out in the hall, “Is someone there?”

Karin throws a blanket around her shoulders before answering the door. “Hello,” she greets, not recognizing the blonde-haired woman before her. “Is there something I can help you with?” She’s sure her own appearance isn’t the most welcoming.

“No, no, nothing like that. I’m Matsumoto, and we’re having a party next door—a sort of housewarming for Shiro, since he moved in a few weeks back. But anyway, I could hear your music, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us. No pressure, if you don’t want to, but it’s better than spending the holidays alone. Also, we have more than enough food because Hinamori was too excited about being in charge of desserts this year.”

“Um,” Karin begins, unsure of how to reply to that. She’s never interacted with her neighbor, and she was relatively content with a mug of hot chocolate.

“At least come to say hi? He hasn’t talked to _anyone_ from the apartment complex yet, and that’s just rude of him.” The woman gives her a pleading look. “At the very least you’ll get some cookies out of it?”

“Sure,” she says, caving. “I’ll join you.”

*

Her neighbor’s apartment follows a more traditional approach, tatami mats rolled out for flooring and a rather large kotatsu where she has her couch and table. The holiday music is much louder and easily overpowered by the ongoing conversations. But as her eyes sweep the room, she isn’t sure who her neighbor is, other than it must be one of the guys.

A voice calls out from a neighboring room, most likely the kitchen, since this appears to be a mirror of her own apartment. “Matsumoto! I could use some help over here!”

“Be right there, Hinamori.” The tall blonde turns back to Karin. “Let me introduce you to your neighbor. Shiro!” She waves over a guy around her age with startlingly white hair that—much to Karin’s amusement—is pulled back with a headband with reindeer antlers. He would seem out-of-place since he appears to be younger than the rest of people who have congregated in the apartment, but he’d been mid-story with several of the other guys.

“What is it?” he grumbles, crossing his arm and scowling at Matsumoto.

“May I introduce you to your neighbor, Miss,” the blonde woman trails off, realizing that she hasn’t actually asked for Karin’s name.

“Kurosaki. Karin.” She extends a hand in greeting.

“Hitsugaya. Toshiro.” He takes her hand and shakes it. “Welcome. Sorry that you have to deal with the insanity, but you’re more than welcome to join in.”

“Matsumoto called you Shiro…?” Karin trails off, unsure if it would be okay to use the nickname as well.

He groans dragging a hand down his face. “Guess that name’s sticking.”

“Unless you have another name you want me to call you by?”

“Toshiro is fine.”

“Then call me Karin.” She grins. “Sorry for crashing your party.”

“I think Matsumoto was looking for more people to torture with her singing. She just needs a few more glasses of sake.”

“So, she’s the one I heard through the wall?”

“Most likely, yeah.” He slips his hands in his pockets, tilting his head towards the group of people playing card games at the table. “Wanna join in?”

“I’m going to win,” she tells him with a grin.

“Good luck,” he tells her as they join the others. He introduces her as his neighbor and says not to scare her off.

Karin learns everyone’s names in a blur, several of them blending together. But then the card game begins, and she directs her focus at the ongoing interactions between people. Turns out, she’s awesome at reading his friends and wins the next few rounds, winning her fair share of cookies and candy canes. Matsumoto and another girl whirl about, dropping off trays of food and snacks, and the evening moves faster than Karin had anticipated.

They sit down for dinner, and it is as though she’s found another family.

“Have a drink,” Matsumoto insists, trying to press a cup of sake into her hands.

“No thanks. I have to wake up early. I’m training for the marathon.”

“Which one? Shiro’s been running after work every day.”

“Gotei. Should be happening New Year’s Eve?”

“Shiro! You should run with Karin! You’re entered in the same marathon!”

Her neighbor looks at her questioningly. “Really?”

“Been training since the summer.”

They lapse into a conversation as the others begin eating, and they plan to meet up the day after Christmas. They opt for her earlier time because of her ever-changing work schedule, and he doesn’t seem to have any complaints.

By the time the festivities are winding down and Karin’s ready to leave, it’s already nearing midnight. She’s one of the last to leave, but she finds herself with enough leftovers to last her several days. It’s while they’re saying their goodbyes that she finds herself noticing Toshiro watching her out of the corner of her eye.

“We’re going running. I just gotta get some sleep,” she calls on her way out, flashing him a grin. “Be ready, bright and early!”

*

Running with someone makes the normally daunting distance easier, and they’ve become friends over the past week. The holidays have begun to wind down, but now the streets are filled with signs for New Years’ parties and festive celebrations to start off the upcoming year.

Since the holiday, they’ve managed to forge a friendship over a mutual respect for each other and a surprising amount of similarities. Plans for meeting up for coffee transform into multi-hour discussions about sports or television shows, offers to talk for a little bit evolve into midnight talks in the other’s apartment, and afternoon runs in the park turn into teaching some middle schoolers new soccer techniques.

Karin doesn’t quite want to admit that she loves spending time with Toshiro. That would mean admitting that she likes him slightly more than a friend. And he doesn’t seem to be doing anything more than treating her as a friend.

It’s not as if she’s so confident in her newfound emotions that she’s willing to risk the friendship that’s blossomed despite the winter weather.

*

On the day of the Marathon, she meets up with her neighbor at the starting line and they stretch together. A comfortable silence falls between them, and she finds herself watching him more than usual. There’s a focus in his gaze, a determination she hasn’t seen before.

She pokes him in the forehead, and it nearly knocks him off balance while he’s stretching out his quads.

“Huh?” He scowls, but his eyes don’t reflect what most people would assume to be frustration. “What was that for, Karin?”

She snorts, “You look tense. Relax, Toshiro.”

“I _am_ relaxed.”

“Right.”

A frigid breeze whirls through the street, and Karin tugs her red scarf tighter around her neck, attempting to tuck the ends into her jacket. Her breath crystallizes in the air before her as she huffs in annoyance. She probably should have purchased a warmer scarf before the marathon, but it’s too late for that now.

“Use mine.” Toshiro’s voice breaks her from her thoughts, as he begins unwinding the teal scarf from around his neck. “You’re up first, and I’ve got a spare.”

“Are you sure?” Karin asks, but Toshiro doesn’t even respond, instead wrapping his scarf around her neck and making sure to cover the more threadbare aspects of her own red one. The fleece fabric is warm from his body heat and immediately cuts the winter chill.

“Better?” his own face has quickly begun to turn red from the wind, but he doesn’t even shiver at the below-freezing temperatures.

Karin nods, and she’s grateful that her own skin is already slightly wind-bitten to hide her blush. “You didn’t have to.”

“I don’t mind,” he insists, a small smile ghosting across his face.

The man acting as the emcee calls for Karin to reach the starting line, and she pauses. “I’ll wait for you at the finish,” she tells him, giving a quick hug. “Do your best!”

“You too,” he replies with a wave.

*

The sun has already begun to set by the time she reaches the finish line. She feels chilled to the bone, but a feeling of accomplishment surges through her. After all, she beat her goal time. She stands by the finish line, a cup of hot cocoa in her hands and a warm blanket tossed around her shoulder. Toshiro’s friends surround her, and Matsumoto pulls her into a hug.

“Isn’t that Shiro’s scarf?”

Karin tugs at the fabric around her neck. “Oh, yeah. He lent it to me since mine was pretty worn through to start.” The blonde grins, and elbows Karin in the ribs. Karin just stares back, successfully keeping a relatively impassive face.

“Let me tell you a secret,” Matsumoto says, slinging an arm around her shoulder and leaning in to whisper in Karin’s ear. “Shiro _hates_ mornings. Wouldn’t stop complaining about it for _months_ when we started working together.”

“But he’s been running with me—”

“I’ll tell you what. We like you. But don’t you hurt him.”

“He doesn’t like me?” Karin says, more doubt than anything else.

The older woman pinches the bridge of her nose, exhaling deeply. “You’re sticking with us for New Year’s, unless you have somewhere else to go, right?”

“Yeah.”

“He likes you. And if that’s not evident by the end of the day…” She sighs, “I’ll smack him upside the head.” Karin laughs as another round of cheers begins from the crowd. She turns her attention to the next runners appearing and recognizes Toshiro’s ice-white hair as he rounds the last corner. “Come on, we’re cheering him on.”

*

Midnight nears and the other bar-goers are either drunk or singing karaoke. It’s one of the few places that seems to be buzzing with life. Karin’s sitting at a high-top table with Toshiro, their other friends loitering around and socializing. They’re wearing more comfortable clothes, but Karin’s held onto Toshiro’s scarf, treating it as more of an accessory to complement her plain outfit.

The countdown has reached a minute, and the other patrons begin counting down, champagne in hand. Karin unwinds the scarf from her neck as they both stand up to join their friends, and she reaches out to hold onto his hand as they make their way through the crowd.

At twenty seconds, they’ve met up with the others. Matsumoto gives both Karin and Toshiro a pointed look, and Karin rolls her eyes. Guess it’s time to do something impulsive.

At fifteen seconds, Toshiro’s still holding onto her hand. He gives it a small squeeze.

At ten seconds, Karin slings Toshiro’s scarf around his neck.

At five seconds, he’s turned to face her, a look of confusion on his face along with what she swears is a blush.

“What’s are you doing, Karin?” he asks, but his voice is lost among the sound of people chanting down the last few seconds.

She grins, releasing his hand and tugging him towards her using his scarf as the clock strikes midnight. Karin hesitates for a split-second before leaning forward for a quick kiss.

They pull away from each other, both blushing profusely.

“Just so you know,” Karin says, “I like you.”

Toshiro grins back, “I like you too.”

“So…”

“Can I take you out for dinner sometime?”

“I’d love that.”

*

The following year she has off from work, and she arrives in Karakura town hand-in-hand with Toshiro. Music can already be heard blasting through the closed doors, and the bright lights are all different colors. Her nephew’s holiday drawings are hung up in the windows, and Karin smiles. She’s home for the holidays.

“So, this is your family’s house?”

“Be prepared for insanity,” Karin forewarns.

“You’ve already met my friends.” Toshiro points out.

“Yeah, they trashed our apartment last time they were over.”

“See, it can’t be that bad,” he insists.

“Don’t say I didn’t give you a heads-up,” she says, watching the front door warily as she presses the doorbell. “Also, you might want to step to the side if you don’t want to risk Dad kicking you in the face.”

“Okay—wait, what?”

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a really simple neighbors au and evolved into whatever this is. Also many thanks to Fair who helped me figure out where I was going with this fic :)


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